Twelve of 18 experts in the survey are evenly split on both films. Six pundits choose "Silver Linings Playbook," director David O. Russell's comedy about a former teacher (Bradley Cooper) who falls in love with a mysterious woman (Jennifer Lawrence) after he checks out of a mental hospital. Picking it to prevail: Dave Karger (Entertainment Weekly), Steve Pond (The Wrap), Christopher Rosen (Huffington Post), Paul Sheehan (Gold Derby), Alex Suskind (Moviefone) and Chuck Walton (Fandango).

See here how each expert ranks the contenders in the top races. When the rankings are combined, they translate into these racetrack odds, which give "Silver Linings Playbook" a slight edge (10 to 3) over "Lincoln" (7 to 2) in the Best Picture derby.

Below: the tally of pundits backing each top contender to win the four acting races.